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JOUENAIi OP HOBTICUIiTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



[ Juljr 16, 1888. 



cover the soil, otherwise the fruit will fee splashed by the first 

 thunder- shower which may occur. 



In packing Slrawberries for travelling, flat tin boxes are 

 frequently used, but I very much prefer wooden boxes stout 

 enough to resist any pressure to which they are likely to be sub- 

 jected in their transit. Boxes 13 inches long by C inches wide, 

 and 2J inches deep, inside measurement, will hold six dozen 

 fine fruit in two layers of three dozen each. The boxes are 

 made of half-inch board, with the exception of the ends, which 

 are three-quarters of an inch thick. A leaf is placed under 

 each fruit and between every two fruits, and the top layer is 

 covered with leaves three or four deep ; on these the lid is 

 firmly closed, and the fruit is pressed with just sufficient firm- 

 ness to keep it in its place without bruising. 



Althougli in most classes of fruits good standard kinds have 

 had the advantage of being tried for a respectable number of 

 years, yet it is not so with the best kinds of Strawberries, 

 despite the eloquent assertions of a certain gardening Bip Van 

 Winkle, who, after a thirty-years sleep, awoke a few weeks 

 back, as I saw in the report of a Gardener's Society, and 

 strongly advocated the merits of Wilmot's Superb! 



In the selection of sorts, size, quality, and time of ripening, 

 combined with fruitfulness, vigour of growth, and hardiness of 

 constitution, are the principal points to be kept in view. Out 

 of a rather large collection I have selected a few kinds which 

 not only possess most of these good qualities, but which also 

 give a most satisfactory succession of such fine fruit as a gar- 

 dener may well feel proud to have placed on his employer's table. 

 Amongst the earlier-ripening kinds Le Breton's Marguerite 

 most worthily holds the first place, for, unlike most early sorts, 

 its fruit is very large, having a fine flavour, and the plant is a 

 moat abundant bearer. Next to this may be named Oscar, of good 

 flavour, and very prolific ; and then comes Trollope's Victoria, 

 the hardiest and most abundant bearer of all Strawberries. 

 For giving a good supply for cooking and preserving purposes, 

 and also for affording some fine fruit for the dessert, this kind 

 with me has no equal. 



Dr. Hogg is a first-class sort in every respect, quite snper- 

 aeding British Queen ; the fruit is very large, and of the finest 

 fl8vour._ Duo de Malakoff is a unique variety, worthy of general 

 cultivation ; its enormous size, peculiar shape, and dark colour 

 causing a dish of it to form a novel feature iu the dessert. I 

 had the curiosity to weigh twelve fruit of this kind, gathered 

 from plants planted in July, 18C7 ; the combined weight was 

 just 1 lb., and occasionally a berry may be found to weigh 2 oz3. 

 Sir Charles Napier is a most excellent sort, of handsome shape, 

 fine flavour, and a good bearer; it also travels well. John 

 Powell is a splendid kind, having a pleasing acidity just brisk 

 enough to be most palatable and refreshing. Bicton Pine is a 

 good white kind; it is also useful for variety. Rivers's Eliza 

 is pne of the best late Strawberries in cultivation— good in 

 every respect. 



_ Black Prince, although small, is useful for its earliness, 

 ripening, as it does, some days before any other kind. 



If all that has been said concerning the good qualities of 

 Tha Lady is correct, I can only say that after two years of 

 unceasing devotion, she has not deigned to reward my attention 

 with one charm which I could appreciate, and, therefore, I 

 conclude "she's as fickle as she's fair."— Edwakd Ltjckbokst, 

 Efjerton House Gardens, Kent. 



PANSIES. 

 Most thoroughly do I echo the sentiment of your reporter 

 when, in speaking of Messrs. Downie, Laird, & Laing's Pansies 

 at Birmingham, ho says, " Surely such lovely flowers must be 

 deserving of more attention than they now receive, especially 

 in the south of England." Tbey are deserving of it ; butinthe 

 general discredit that now unfortunately attends most florists' 

 flowers, I fear the Pansy is so involved, that it will require 

 much perseverance to enable us to re-establish it in the position 

 it BO well deserves, and which it once held. My earliest recol- 

 lections of Mr. Turner, of Slough, are conneetedwith the Pansy, 

 when, iu his garden at Upton, he grew it as well as he loved it. 

 His change to Slough brought other matters under his notice 

 and care, and I fancy the situation was not so suitable ; but be 

 that as it may, the Pansy no longer forms one of the attractions 

 of his garden. It is omitted from his catalogues, a sure sign 

 of its decliuing popularity. The eminent firm above mentioned, 

 however, have done their best to introduce its culture, and 

 from their having their northern establishment at Edinburgh 

 and their eouthern one at Stanstead Park, are enabled to have 



a much more lengthened bloom than if they were dependant 



on either one or the other alone. 



There are many persons who can see no difference between 

 one Pansy and another in the same class, yet who can go off 

 into ccstacies over the smallest imaginable difference in a Fern, 

 and think nothing of the absurdities of an Athyrium Filix- 

 foemina multo-difliso-coronatum, or who can see marvellous 

 differences between Tricolor Pelargonium Tweedledum and Tri- 

 color Tweedledee, but who have an infinity of sharp words and 

 extraordinarily funny sajings about florists' microscopic eyes. 

 Well, well, a reaction will come some day, and we poor old 

 conservatives will be found to Lave some followers. Already 

 the grand chromatic of red, yellow, and blue is giving way, 

 foliage is needed to relieve the vulgarity ; and erelong, perhaps, 

 my lady will confess to a weakness for Carnations, and made- 

 moiselle, who goes into raptures over her Stellas, Lobelias, &c., 

 may perhaps own that she cultivates a few Auriculas on the 

 sly, unfashionable though it may be; and the venerable doctor, 

 who talks so eloquently of his Cannas and sub-tropicals, may 

 own that Pansies are worthy of cultivation. Indeed the tables 

 may be turned, and these things accounted " weeds, sir, weeds." 

 I live in hope of a return to the good old times, when florists' 

 flowers were the pleasure and glory of many a garden which 

 now is given up to chaos for nine months in the year, and is 

 like a Turkey carpet for the remaining three ; not that we can 

 do without the bedding-out system, but I want to have room 

 for all, and so for our Pansies. 



Last autumn I received from Messrs. Downie, Laird, & Laing 

 a collection of the two divisions into which Pansies are now 

 arranged, (he Show and the Fancy kinds. They were planted 

 in my garden at Deal, and looked very promising at the end of 

 February ; then a change came over the spirit of my dream, 

 and I had to remove to Westwell. My Pansies were amongst 

 the first of my removals, but any one who knows what such 

 things are and require, will not be surprised to hear that I had 

 not the bloom from them that I hoped to have had ; besides, 

 not knowing the position or the quality of the soil of my 

 garden here, I placed them on a sunny bank instead of in some 

 more shady portion of the ground. The exceedingly dry time 

 that we have had has been most unfavourable to them ; and 

 yet, with all that, I was greatly charmed with them, giving me 

 ' their beauty as they did in the first "days of my sojourn here, 

 when all was strange and new, and one had hard work to get 

 reconciled to the breaking-away of ties of so many years' 

 standing. During their time of blooming (iu the open ground, 

 I should say), I have taken the opportunity of marking some 

 of the best, and now give the result of my notes. 



SHOW PANSIES. 

 Yellow Grounds. 



Gem. — Dark yellow, edged with rich purple; a bold dense 

 eye and blotch. Very fine. 



Alexander Whamond. — Eich golden yellow, bronze purple 

 belting. A very striking flower. 



Eviily Lylc.—QoMssn yellow, with rich bronze purple belt, 

 large solid eye and blotch. A flower of remarkably fine pro- 

 perties. 



J. B. Downie. — Bright yellow, bronze belt. An excellent flower. 



Prince of Walesa — Very clear yellow ground, with dark purple 

 belting, good dense blotch and eye. 



William Austin. — Bright golden yellow, deep rich belt ; very 

 round and smooth. 



White Gi'minds. 



Mary Eussell.— While, broad purple belting. Very pure and 

 good. 



Cupid. — Pure white ground, dark purple belting. An excel- 

 lent flower. 



Lavinia. — White ground, light purple belting. 



Lady Lucy Dundas. — Clear white, deep purplish maroon 

 belting. A very fine flower. 



Princess of Wales.— 'Pave white, belted with rich purplish 

 maroon ; dense blotch. Very fine. 

 Selfs. 



Alexander McNab. — Dark sell, beautifully shaded. 



Ladtjhurn Beauty. — Intensely dark. Very fine. 



Miss Ramsay. — Pure white. Very fine form. 



Mr. J. Graham. — Dark plum colour. Very fine. 



Ret). U. Dombrain. — Very daik, and fine farm. 



Yellow Queen. — Deep rich yellow self. 



TANCT PAUBIES. 



Miss J. Kay. — LigJt purple laaed. with mauye, wiSJt- pare 

 felotch of dark bluish gnrple. 



